Electrifying Rural India with Crop Waste !

Candles and kerosene lamps have been a constant evening companion for many villagers, particularly students, in many parts of India. Given that many of the villagers live in thatched houses, the fear of a fire breaking out is always lurking. It is not a fear that can be easily forgotten, even if one grows up and has left India to pursue his dreams.

It was the memories of the dark nights that formed the fuel to create Husk Power Systems – an innovative company that addresses the power requirements of rural India.

Husk Power Systems was established in 2007, wherein the company offered an off-grid power generation and distribution solution to serve rural customers in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Husk is perhaps the first company to use 100 percent biomass gasification with rice husks to generate electricity for rural households and small businesses. The company has since evolved its business model and launched what it claims to be the world’s first hybrid-powered mini-grid system that provides grid-compatible, highly reliable, and 24/7 power to customers.

The fuel for the power plants is a resource that is available in abundance in Bihar: rice husk.

The farmers get their rice to the mills where the grain and the husk are separated. While the farmer leaves with the grains, the husk is collected and sold to Husk Power Systems.

The selling of the husk not only provides the mill owners with some additional income but also helps in generating power for the village.

This method of producing electricity is also extremely energy-efficient as the carbon produced is almost negligible.

Husk Power still has many more miles to cover to ensure that every village home in rural Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has electricity.